- Copilot in Excel allows you to automate the creation and customization of reports, facilitating data analysis without the need for advanced knowledge.
- Copilot can be integrated with Power BI and Microsoft Defender to create visual or incident reports in a centralized and efficient manner.
- La programming Periodic reporting, automatic submission, and data protection improve productivity and security.
Microsoft Excel constantly evolving, and with the arrival of Copilot, a powerful tool for Artificial Intelligence integrated into the universe Microsoft 365The way we create and automate reports is undergoing a true revolution. Data management, rapid analysis, and report creation have never been more accessible or agile. Now, even inexperienced users can take advantage of advanced features to transform data into valuable insights with just a few clicks or simple prompts.
Mastering reporting with Copilot in Excel is key for any professional looking for efficiency and accuracy. Thanks to Copilot integration, you can automate repetitive tasks, get personalized suggestions based on your data, and turn simple tables into comprehensive visual analyses without the need for advanced formulas or programming knowledge. If you want to get the most out of Excel, you'll want to learn all the possibilities Copilot offers and how this assistant can help transform your daily workflow.
What is Copilot in Excel and how can it help you?
Copilot is an AI-powered assistant from Microsoft, designed to enhance the capabilities of Excel. and other products in the Microsoft 365 environment. Specifically for Excel, Copilot accelerates reporting and data analysis by suggesting formulas, creating custom charts, highlighting relevant information, and offering advanced features that would otherwise require a higher level of technical knowledge. This tool works both in the online version and in desktop applications associated with business and school accounts.
One of the highlights of Copilot in Excel is its ability to interact with data through natural language. Thus, it is possible to request tasks such as "create a pivot table with the breakdown of monthly sales" or "highlight in bold the three best-selling products of the year" through messages (or "prompts"), delegating complex work to the artificial intelligence of Microsoft Copilot. This eliminates the traditional barrier to learning complex formulas and macros.
Among the most popular features that Copilot brings to Excel are:
- Automatic column and formula suggestions: Copilot can analyze your spreadsheet and suggest columns that add value, such as percentage differences, trends, or summaries.
- Instant chart creation: You can ask Copilot to generate visual charts such as bars, lines, or pie charts by intuitively choosing variables and styles.
- Creating and updating pivot tables: With Copilot, you can automate the generation or updating of pivot tables, ideal for large volumes of data.
- Highlighting key information: The assistant is able to point out outliers, trends, and relevant values in a matter of seconds.
How to get started with Copilot to create reports in Excel
The first step to using Copilot efficiently is to ensure you have compatible versions of Excel, which typically requires access to a Microsoft 365 account with Copilot enabled. Once in Excel, your workflow can begin like this:
- Open Excel and access the document stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, as Copilot needs access to files in the cloud to function properly.
- Select Copilot on the ribbon to display the side panel from which you can interact via text messages.
- Prepare the data in table formatCopilot works best when your data is organized as an Excel table: select the data range and apply the table format from the "Home > Format as Table" menu.
Once you've got everything ready, it's time to take advantage of Copilot's potential with specific prompts. Here are some examples of useful prompts:
- «Create a bar chart showing sales growth between the second and third quarters.»
- «Add a column that calculates the percentage difference between column A and column C.»
- “Bold the three highest values in the 'Sales' column.”
- «Generates a weekly report of products with critical stock.»
Advanced reporting using Copilot
Copilot isn't just for simple tasks; it's also a great ally in automating complex reports and advanced analytics. Thanks to contextual understanding and machine learning, the tool learns from your habits and the data available to offer you:
- Programmable periodic reports: You can ask Copilot to schedule monthly, quarterly, or annual reports, ensuring you always have up-to-date information without additional effort.
- Automatic sending of reports by email: Configure notifications so that generated documents are automatically sent to interested parties, optimizing the flow of internal communication.
- Audit and traceability of changes: Copilot allows you to track changes to your spreadsheets, maintaining clear audit trails and making it easy to revert unwanted changes.
In industries where security and privacy are critical, such as finance or human resources, Copilot can also help you:
- Protect spreadsheets with passwords and access permissions, giving access only to authorized users.
- Enforce privacy rules and maintain version control essential to comply with regulations and internal policies.
Optimizing and customizing reports with Power Query and PivotTables
To manage large volumes of dataExcel offers you Power Query, a tool that, when combined with Copilot, makes it easy to transform, cleanse, and analyze complex data. Copilot can help you create Custom queries in Power Query, automating data preparation before it reaches the final report. This is essential if you work with databases extensive or you need to consolidate information from different sources.
Furthermore, the management and optimization of pivot tables becomes much more efficient with Copilot. Not only does it suggest the most appropriate structures for your analysis, but it can also automate updates and customization, facilitating comparative analyses across periods, categories, or segments. This way, your reports gain in depth and accuracy, allowing you to make strategic decisions with reliable, up-to-the-minute data.
Creating reports in Power BI with Copilot
Copilot also plays a key role beyond Excel, especially in the creating reports in Power BIThis integration streamlines the creation of dashboards and visual reports, allowing you to create report pages with just a couple of clicks or quick instructions. To do this, all you need is:
- Select the compatible workspace in Power BIA Copilot-enabled capability, such as the paid Fabric or Power BI Premium, is required.
- Make sure the report is in the correct workspace and check the license from the settings.
- Choosing the semantic model and use Copilot to generate and customize report pages, requesting content suggestions or giving specific instructions.
The public preview of Copilot in Power BI also introduces narrative summary creation and the ability to undo pages, giving analysts greater flexibility and making it easier to review reports before publishing or exporting.
Copilot can suggest possible pages for your report, create automatic narratives that summarize entire sections or key data, and export the results in PDF, which simplifies communication with other departments or the documentation of strategic decisions.
Copilot in incident reporting in security environments
Not only in the financial and general analysis field, Copilot already stands out in the Incident reporting for security teams that use Microsoft Defender. Its integration allows:
- Centralize and summarize incident data from multiple sources (Sentinel, Defender XDR), organizing response actions, analyst logs, and other key metrics into a clear and useful report.
- Automate the consolidation of all relevant information of each case to improve incident response and facilitate audit-ready or review-ready reports.
- Export reports in shareable formats (such as PDF) and publish them directly to the platform's activity log, streamlining the flow of critical information.
The main recommendations for enjoying comprehensive reports in this context are:
- Resolve the incident before generating the report, ensuring the inclusion of all actions taken and comments recorded.
- Write and save clear and complete comments in the activity log to provide detailed context.
- Properly synchronize data when working with integrations like ServiceNow.
Copilot even makes it easy to directly export this evidence to PDF, making incident monitoring and reporting to third parties easier.
Continuous learning and personalization: the added value of Copilot
The truly interesting thing about Copilot is its ability to learn and adapt to your needsMicrosoft rolls out regular updates that incorporate new features, algorithm improvements, and a better user experience. In addition, Copilot offers interactive tutorials adapted to each person's level, allowing progressive learning for both Excel beginners and advanced users.
These guided tutorials cover everything from basic prompt usage to developing complex reports, covering topics such as:
- Automation of periodic reports.
- Security and management of large volumes of data.
- Advanced creation of pivot tables and charts.
Thus, Copilot is not only useful for working with current data, but also supports users in continuously improving their skills and adopting new analytics and automation practices.
Considerations, limitations and best practices
Although Copilot is very powerful, there are certain Limitations that should be kept in mind:
- In Power BI, Copilot cannot create report pages from report models. streaming in real time or when using dynamic connections to Analysis Services.
- Semantic models with implicit measures disabled are also not supported for page creation using Copilot.
On the other hand, it is recommended that:
- Keep your version of Microsoft 365 and Excel up to date to enjoy all the features of Copilot and access the latest security patches.
- Well-structured tables are used and data is organized clearly., which makes Copilot's work easier and improves the quality of the analysis.
- Provide accurate and complete instructions to Copilot, since the clearer the indication, the better the final result of the report.
Copilot in Excel represents a radical transformation in the way we work with data. Its ability to automate tasks, generate advanced reports, and adapt to different user levels makes it an essential tool for both beginners and data analysis experts. By thoroughly understanding all its possibilities and best practices, any professional can take their productivity and accuracy to the next level.
Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.